Chinese-Canadian children’s summer vacation: Four typical ways to spend time, each with its own merits

More than two weeks have passed since the summer vacation. How have the Chinese Canadian children spent their vacation? After investigation, the reporter found that most children choose a variety of summer activities during the summer vacation. Children's summer life can be basically divided into hard-working, self-pleasure, specialty, and play types. Playing is still what children look forward to most during summer vacation, and they prefer to be with peers of their own ethnic group. For many children, this most basic wish is difficult to achieve.

The reporter recently conducted random conversations and surveys in person or on the phone about the summer vacation life of 20 children in Grade 6 and above in several communities with relatively concentrated Chinese populations, including Richmond, Surrey and Burnaby. Regarding the question "Are you happy with your summer vacation in Vancouver?", 4 people directly answered "not happy", 3 of whom were elementary school students, 1 was a junior high school student, and all 3 were new immigrants who had been in Vancouver for less than a year. Another 10 people said it was "ok" or "so-so", and the remaining 6 people said "very happy". Why are you unhappy? The main reasons are: "There are no classmates to play with", "It's lonely to be alone", "Language communication difficulties", "Parents' demands are too high", etc. Some children actually told reporters that their parents were busy working outside and it was too boring to stay at home alone, so they did not want to spend the summer vacation.

Facing the reporter’s question “What is your ideal holiday life like?”, these children’s expectations are very different from the summer life they actually experience. In their own words, the children's expected summer vacation life is: "get in touch with more society", "play with classmates", "have fewer demands from parents", and "go back to China to see". Among them, "more contact with society" was mentioned by 12 children, which shows the urgency of Chinese children to integrate into local life as soon as possible.

From the reporter’s investigation, it can be found that among some immigrant children, this summer is the same as previous holidays. It is not much different and does not bring them much novelty. Between wishes and reality, parents feel a lot of emotion, and children feel a lot of helplessness.

Strong-spirited type: becoming successful is not afraid of hard work

13-year-old Ah Hua lives near the Richmond Public Market and is currently in seventh grade at a primary school. When the reporter saw her, she had just finished a one-and-a-half-hour "mathematics intensive" class, her forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and her T-shirt was soaked with sweat. However, she didn't bother to wipe the sweat. She looked at the watch on her wrist and said, "I can rest for 3 hours. My mother signed me up for several workshops during the summer vacation, such as physics, Chinese writing, and French, except Friday. , almost every day from morning to night. My mother said that she had not been in Canada for a long time, so she should take advantage of the summer vacation to catch up. China is not as tight as China, so she can only put pressure on herself. "When talking to reporters, Ahua said. His head is always drooped, and his big eyes are narrowed into a slit, showing that he is very sleepy. Later, the reporter learned from her that the child got up at around 7 o'clock every morning and began to practice according to the "Lady Development Plan" set by her mother. The daily content ranged from reciting Tang poetry and Song lyrics to understanding common sense about appearance and walking. It’s fuller than the school’s schedule. Just as she was talking, Ahua's mother came over from the other side. She told reporters that her husband was making money in China to support the family, so she would "practice" with her all day long. Because I haven't gotten my driver's license yet, I only spend 3 hours a day on the bus and walking. But she believes it's all worth it.

The reporter noticed that Ahua’s face remained expressionless. She stared blankly at her mother as she spoke, curling her lips. After a while, she expressed her position and said that her mother had given so much, so she must work hard and believe that every hard work will bring you a harvest.

Chen Yali, head of the Chinese Emotional Health Mutual Aid Association in Canada, believes that most of the Chinese immigrants who set foot on Canadian soil after experiencing a long wait in the application queue are over 30 years old, and the dreams they once had may not be possible. That vision evaporated in the face of Canada's cold job market. The original dazzling talents and skills have been greatly reduced by the weakness of language. People have temporarily put aside their previous ambitions and have no choice but to succumb to various unsatisfactory occupations and types of work. While supporting their families and entertaining themselves, middle-aged people Immigrant friends involuntarily cast their eyes full of expectations on their young children. It seems that their unfulfilled ambitions can only be realized in the second generation. The psychological influence of traditional Chinese culture that has been subtle for many years, such as the so-called hope that one's son will become a dragon or a daughter will become a phoenix, is deeply felt by middle-aged immigrant friends in the real world of a foreign country. Many parents who originally had high expectations for Western education but did not really understand its educational philosophy are also quite disappointed with the reality of Canadian primary and secondary public education that is too simple and loose. They believe that children who grow up under this education system Older children are not motivated enough and have weak basic knowledge, making it difficult for them to cope with the fiercely competitive society in college and adulthood. In order to make up for various regrets and deficiencies, parents have tried their best to come up with various tricks to achieve comprehensiveness, versatility, expertise and excellence in their children's studies and hobbies. Over time, in Canada, a Chinese educational and cultural phenomenon that is completely different from the previous British and French traditions has gradually developed, forming a unique landscape in the Canadian education market.

Self-pleasure type: Home Alone

14-year-old Chen Huan currently lives in a basement in East Vancouver, Canada. His parents were both university teachers. T&T Meat Cabinet, a handyman at a clinic in Canada, usually Chen Huan is at home alone. Every day, his parents told him not to go out and could only hang out at the door. He usually passed the time by surfing the Internet, and now he has become obsessed with the Internet.

Xiao Chen surfs the Internet for more than ten hours every day, wandering in the "Feifei" online game. By chance, he meets a beauty who claims to be only 10 years old, and they form a team to deal with her together. The monsters in the game are very enjoyable to advance one after another. What surprised reporters was that he actually called his beautiful partner "my lover" while playing the game.

Mr. Lao, an expert who has studied youth education in China, reminded parents that generally speaking, if children go online for more than 4 hours a day, they will easily become dependent on the Internet. After being disconnected from the Internet, they will suffer from emotional irritability, mental exhaustion, etc. Symptoms will affect the child's physical health, and in severe cases, the child will be tired of studying. In addition, some children who lack self-discipline and restraint enter pornographic websites, which will also cause harm to the child's psychology. Parents cannot leave their children at home because they are working. This is not good for the growth of teenagers.

Play Type: The Joy of Study Tour

Thirteen-year-old Xiao Qingqing is in Grade 7 at a middle school in Burnaby. Unlike ordinary children, his summer vacation will be spent in the "Happy Project" "Spend it in time." In addition to participating in two summer camps, his parents also took him to China to participate in a "summer cultural travel" activity that involved history, geography, archaeology, investigation and other content. His father told reporters: "Let the child have a happy childhood, otherwise why would he bring him to Canada?"

18-year-old Wang Ping from Shanghai is about to go to Europe to study in Britain, France, and Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Rwanda participated in the "study tour". The difference from last time is that this time she will live with a local family. She feels that listening to the different languages ??spoken by people from different countries is very beneficial to her.

“Using the summer vacation to participate in summer camps and travel abroad can broaden your horizons and increase your knowledge. It is a good way to vacation.” A psychological counselor in Vancouver said that going out for children during the summer can promote their understanding of the world. Parents should guide them in understanding the knowledge they have learned, and suggest that their children write down what they see and hear in essays or diaries. Traveling can also exercise their children's ability to adapt to the world.

Speciality: You need to practice all kinds of martial arts

The reporter met a thin girl at the door of a "music academy" in Burnaby. She was carrying a guzheng into the car with her father, and an erhu hung from her arm. She told reporters that she is in the sixth grade of primary school and is already 12 years old. She comes to the college to learn guzheng every week. It used to be once a week, but now she has one more time during holidays. "Can we play after we finish studying?" the reporter asked. The little girl shook her head and said that her mother also enrolled her in erhu, painting and Go courses, and recently added calligraphy, which she learned in Chinatown, which is far away from home. Regarding the question of what her ideal summer vacation life is like, the little girl paused for a moment before answering: "I'm too busy right now. Spending so much money to learn these things is largely the responsibility of my parents. I hope to have more time with my classmates." Just play.”

The aunt who took care of the little girl told reporters that the child rushed between various specialty classes every day, often just after finishing one class. There is no time for rest, and weekends are no exception.

Parents use the summer vacation to let their children learn more special skills, which is utilitarian. It is often used as a bargaining chip for further studies. It is easy to blindly follow the crowd. In fact, most schools in the United States and Canada When enrolling children, the overall quality of the child is often considered, not just the child's specialties in certain aspects. Therefore, when enrolling children in specialty classes, parents should make a more rational choice based on the child's own characteristics. Usually, a child enrolls in one or two during the summer vacation. Specialty classes are more suitable.